Friends
by Lizziebennett
Summary: A one shot based on Lily and James and their friends shortly after graduation from Hogwarts. Lily is moving to New York but James presents her with some news that might alter her decision to go. Based on the show Friends.


Lily Evans had just finished her last year at Hogwarts. She was sitting quietly in her new flat reading, enjoying one last quiet moment before tonight. Lily's best friends, Annabelle and Elizabeth, had planned a going-away party before Lily left for New York.

Lily had been best friends with Elizabeth and Annabelle since their first year at Hogwarts; the instant when they met on the train sealed a lasting friendship. Lily vividly recalled when Annabelle had slipped into Lily's compartment where she had been silently engrossed in a novel, trying to alleviate the anxious sensations she felt whenever she pondered the massive depths of what being a new witch meant. She had been experiencing a normal life with here family when she received her Hogwarts letter. She had been dubious as to whether it was in fact a hoax as she most firmly believed or the possibility that she, Lily Evans, could be a witch.

_Annabelle Brandon had long, straight brown hair that glimmered in the light from the compartment window. Her brunette locks went halfway down her back, and bangs swept across her face in an angularly fashion, brushed to the right of her face. She had pale, porcelain skin that contrasted formidably with her dark hair and eyes. Annabelle was clad in a pair of jeans with a pink hooded sweater shrugged on her shoulders. She looked for a minute at Lily, avidly studying her features when she asked in a confident, polite manner, "Do you mind if I sit here? Every other compartment is full."_

_Lily gazed at Annabelle quizzically for a moment longer before replying, "Oh … of course. Come, sit."_

_She brushed aside her bag and book and said to the girl, "I'm Lily Evans. I'm new here …a First Year."_

_Annabelle observed Lily's pale complexion, her bright, flashing green eyes, and her auburn hair. Her hair cascaded down her back and her eyes reflected the light that bounced off the window. Annabelle cordially reciprocated Lily's polite banter, "Nice to meet you. I'm Annabelle Brandon. I happen to be a First Year, too, but I do know about magic, since my family is. My brother, Luke, goes here too. He's a Sixth Year. But I won't be seeing much of him, anyways. He's involved in Quittidch, of course. He's a beater for Griffyndor. But, of course, you wouldn't know that, would you?"_

_"Um … no."_

_"Okay. So, basically, here's how Hogwarts works: there's four houses, Griffyndor, the best, Hufflepuffs, well they're okay, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. You want to be in Griffyndor. That's where I want to go. It's where my brother is. I mean, my whole family went there. So anyways –" _

_She was cut off by a noise at the door. A girl who looked to be eleven stood there, with pale golden hair fell down her back and some strands were strewn about her face elegantly. She was garbed in a pair of jeans and a pale, tan sweater that was belted with a thin belt. She smiled warmly and said, "Annabelle! How are you?"_

_"Oh my God! Elizabeth, how are you? I'm good! I missed you so much this summer! How was France?" Annabelle exclaimed, a contented smile playing on her face._

_"I'm wonderful. It was so fun! I loved France. Anyways, I'm excited to start school. Oh, who's this?" Elizabeth said, looking at Lily appraisingly._

_"Oh, this is Lily Evans. She's a First Year, too. She's a Muggleborn, though. We'll have to teach her the basics."_

_Elizabeth smiled kindly and began, "Well, you'll love it here. It's basically like a normal school, with magic."_

And from that moment on, the three girls had become inseparable.

Lily smiled reminscencingly at the memory and she put down her novel. School had been a blast. In fact, she had come to call Hogwarts her home. She had acquired vast amounts of knowledge and become a part of the magical world. She had had so much fun with her friends, studying, going to Hogsmeade on weekends, and growing up there. She hadn't known James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, or Peter Pettigrew very well before fifth year. Of course, she knew who they were. Who didn't?

The Marauders were an infamous group in Hogwarts, renowned for the trouble making and pranking. Lily personally thought they were funny, even if their pranks sometimes went too far. Lily had, before fifth year, regarded them as easy-going students. But she didn't know much past that. She didn't particularly spend time with them; they had never been her friends. The majority of her time had been spend studying, or hanging out with her best friends, Elizabeth and Annabelle.

But then Fifth Year arrived, and her world was invaded by them. Or more specifically, James Potter. He had asked her out incessantly since that year. He would ask her out whenever he saw her: in the hallway, outside on the Pitch, in the classroom via notes, in the medium of messages from Sirius or Remus, even, mysteriously in her room. How he got up there, she'd never know. But that was the aura of the Marauders. She, every single time, refused to accept his proposals. She, at first, had been flattered by his asking her out. But she soon grew impatient with his persistent manner. As his popularity flourished, his pomposity grew. And she resented that more than his other unadmirable qualities.

His black hair stood out in every direction, his hazel eyes gaze probingly at everything he encountered, full of mischief and sparkle. He was extremely tall, around six foot three, much taller than her five foot six. He would tower over her when he asked her out, and she would glare up at him, refusing him over and over again. Yet he refused to give up. Even she admitted his persistency was amazing.

But, halfway into Sixth Year, he'd matured a little, and Lily began to see James beyond his arrogant exterior. She saw what his best friends saw. She remembered pleasant nights spent in the Common Room doing homework with Elizabeth, Annabelle, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all having fun laughing with one another, and she found herself becoming good friends with the Marauders. Sirius, with his elegant black hair falling into his face, would lounge on a chair, flirting with Annabelle. Meanwhile, Remus and Elizabeth would converse about everything, arguing over the minutest details of history. Peter would be listening intently and playing along with whoever was nearest him, often Sirius and Annabelle. That left James and Lily to talk, thus forcing Lily to forge a friendship with James. That friendship had eventually led Lily to have a crush on James, and that resulted in them dating.

Over the next two years, Lily and James shared an off-and-on again relationship. They would date, then break up, and yet they always came back to each other. It was an endless cycle. They would be happily dating when some irrelevant reason broke them up. Then, they would brood about their lost partner respectively, and then their misery would cease once they were back together again. It had been two months since they had last broken up, and Lily and James had remained close friends.

Once they graduated from Hogwarts, they had lived in flats in the same building, enjoying being free from education, doing work and hanging out. However, now things were going to change. Lily was moving to America. She had been offered a job as a Head Department official for the American Ministry of Magic. She'd been thrilled when she received the offer. She clearly remembered the interview from a month back:

_Lily walked into the foyer of the large building, her stilettos echoing off the marble floor of the vast room. She was wearing a skirt with a pink shirt, and her shoes had been given to her by Elizabeth last Christmas. They were beautiful and she loved them. She ambled up to the front desk and she spoke politely to the secretary, "Hello, I'm Lily Evans, here to see Felicity Williams at ten thirty."_

_The secretary smiled, "of course. Come sit and she'll be down in a moment."_

_Lily smiled and said a thank you. Then she walked to the leather seating and plopped down on the plush couch. She felt anxious as she anticipated the arrival of Felicity. Her current boss, Jeremy, had called her into his office and he had told her to go here. He hadn't said what for. So here she was, no idea what was going on. _

_Suddenly, a woman in a rich brown suit appeared and smiled graciously. "Hi, I'm Felicity. Please, call me Lissie, everyone does. Come with me."_

_"Hi, I'm Lily Evans. Pleased to meet you," Lily had replied in her best business voice. _

_She had gone into a luxurious office filled with vast desks, a large amount of trinkets all over the place, and she sat down in the chair opposite the desk. Lissie sat down, and said, "Now, you surely know that you are fabulous at what you do. And you are incredibly smart. That must be unambiguous to you."_

_Lily was flabbergasted for a moment. Then she pulled herself together and said, "Thank you. I do enjoy being in charge of the Financial Department in the Ministry. A very fulfilling job."_

_"So, we have a job offer for you. In New York. You will be heading up the offices at Ministry Financial in the United States. It pays a lovely sum, sufficient even for a rich fellow. Then, what do you think?"_

_Lily stared for a moment, before she cleared her throat and replied, "Well, that is a fantastic opportunity. I will most definitely consider it. Thank you so much."_

_Felicity laughed. "Well, just call me when you're ready. Okay?"_

_Lily agreed, "Of course. Thank you. I will contact you."_

_Lily went home that evening and talked it over with everyone. She had called her parents, and they said she should go. She then made James, Sirius, Remus, Elizabeth, and Annabelle discuss it. At the meeting, she saw the pained look in James' eyes but decided to ignore it. When she first told them, Sirius and Remus had looked astonished, Elizabeth and Annabelle had looked happy and sat simultaneously, and James had looked lost for a moment, before deciding to congratulate her. She had decided to accept the offer and she called Felicity back and told her the answer._

So she was going to New York. She was moving from England for the first time in her life. It amazed herthat she was leaving. She was going to miss her friends, everyone, her home in general, but she knew an opportunity such as this would not likely arise again. She was going to do it. She felt mixed feelings about leaving: apprehension about starting a new life away from everything familiar, excitement about seeing a new place, and extreme sadness at the prospects of leaving her family and friends.

Tonight was her last night at home. She was leaving tomorrow. For good. So, being the impulsive, good people they were, Annabelle and Elizabeth had planned a party for tonight, a last hurrah for the young, carefree people they were. It was just going to be her close friends: Elizabeth, Annabelle, Sirius, Peter and James.

James. She was going to miss him so much. Of course, she loved her other friends dearly, but there was a special place in her heart for him always because of the special bond they shared. They had dated often, she had always come back to him, the person who she secretly knew was right for her. She was going to leave a part of her here when she left him, she knew.

Annabelle and Elizabeth had prepared a little going-away party for Lily, their way of telling her goodbye. This was their gift to her. She was appreciative of their efforts, but internally she knew that this made leaving harder for her. It made it definitive that she was going. She had wanted to slip away quietly tomorrow, but this celebration marked a permanent, unambiguous distinction between tomorrow's new life and the one she had led for seventeen years.

The flat was being decorated by Elizabeth and Annabelle; they had done a wonderful job. They had strung streamers along the ceiling and walls, put a banner up, made cakes, and planned a lovely time.

Lily knew she had to get ready so she grudgingly put her medium for escape, her book, aside and got up and took a shower. She got dressed elegantly in a knee-length skirt that fanned out when she twirled in it in front of the mirror. She was wearing a light pink sweater too. She brushed her hair let it down, putting half up so it wouldn't fall into her face.

She walked out into the main room of the flat and she hugged Annabelle and Elizabeth. "Thank you so much, you guys," she said, smiling at them. Then she added affectionately, "Oh, I'm going to miss you guys so much! Lizzie, Annabelle, this is the best way to leave my home."

Elizabeth and Annabelle hugged her back and theybroke apart when they heard the door bell.

"Come in!" yelled Elizabeth, straightening her clothes.

"Hey!" came Sirius' voice from the door. He came into the room clad in a button down with jeans and he hugged Lily. He presented her with a gift which Lily took, grinning up at him.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said sincerely.

Remus ambled in and embraced Lily, and Peter followed Remus in too.

"Hey, how are you? Haven't seen you since … earlier today." Lily grinned and James walked in, giving Lily a bone crushing hug.

Remus smiled at Lily and he said, "Lily, we're going to miss you. But first, a night of fun."

"Yes, for sure! One last hurrah."

James looked at Lily and said, "Let's not talk about you leaving. Just enjoy tonight, the last one before you go."

Lily looked up at James probingly, then said softly, "Okay. Let's do that."

James smiled falsely back. He was extremely upset that Lily was going. He wanted her to stay. There was so much left unsaid between them that he had meant to tell her. And, he hadn't felt that their relationship had proper closure yet. He wanted to talk to her about _them_. The two of them; the profoundness of their relationship; the history they had shared; everything. She, he could tell, was upset to leave, but she was also excited to go and start a fantastic career in New York.

Elizabeth gave drinks to everyone, put on some classics of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and they started to converse. It was the last time like old times, they all knew. But they all hid under the protective barrier of the past, while they refused to accept or even acknowledge the future events that were looming tomorrow; they were reveling in the friendship with one another.

Elizabeth said, "Okay. So for old times' sake, let's talk about our time at Hogwarts. Our favorite memories, the bad ones, everything. Okay?"

Everyone nodded.

Annabelle said, "So, who wants to go first?"

Sirius, everlastingly vibrant, said, " I will. So, let's see. James, Remus, and Peter, and I all became friends on the first ride to Hogwarts –"

"So were we!" exclaimed Annabelle.

"No interrupting!" barked Sirius, half-jokingly. " So, like I was saying. We became best friends instantly. We got to know each other first year really well. And we started pranking-" at this, his eyes lit up "-and then in Second Year we found out about Moony's furry little problem, and we wanted to help him. Oh, also, we made the Marauder's map. That was the best bit of magic done by twelve year olds, for sure! Then like in third year, we started studying to become Animagus, for Moony. And that was the year James started to like Lily-" James blushed slightly at this "-and then he started incessantly talking about her. 'Lily this' and 'Lily that' was all we heard. By fourth year, we had learned to become Animagus and we helped Moony. And I became Padfoot! Yeah, so someone else go now."

Annabelle volunteered. "Okay, so we became friends at the same time. Then we kind of just studied and hung out a lot. We didn't really know you guys well until fifth year. Remember? That was when James started to ask Lily out daily. It was like a ritual."

Remus laughed. "Yeah, that's true. That's when he started to. I remember that was the first yeah he gathered up enough courage to ask her out. And as I recall, the same year Sirius began to flirt with Annabelle."

Sirius cackled and then he went up to Annabelle and eyed her up suggestively. "Yeah, Annabelle, what happened? Wasn't it me and you forever?"

Annabelle howled with laughter. Then she sobered up and said, "Nope, Sirius. Too late." At this bit, Sirius' eyes became darker with emotion and James, perceptive to his best friend's emotions, observed this, even though he knew Annabelle was kidding.

"No, it's not too late," said Sirius suddenly.

"What?" Annabelle said blankly, not comprehending Sirius' serious tone.

"It's not. I want _us_ to happen."

Then Annabelle started laughing again. Sirius, who wasn't joking, realized what Annabelle's reaction was, and joined in her merriment. James and Remus, however, saw how he laughed a little later than Annabelle.

Then Elizabeth piped up, " Do you remember that one time by the lake when James had just asked Lily out and they had a full-on row?"

Remus' memory sparked with remembrance and he said, "Yeah, I do."

"That was so bad. I remember Lily crying in her bed that night. It was awful. Lily was so upset."

Lily glared at Elizabeth. "What did you just say? I thought I told you never to say anything!"

James, however, heard this and said in astonishment, "You cried? I can't believe that. I thought you hated me."

"I didn't in that one. That was when I-"

Elizabeth said, "when she started to like you."

James stared incredulously at Lily. "You liked me halfway through sixth year? We didn't start dating until the summer before seventh year!" he said in disbelief.

Lily turned red. "Well … uhh. Actually, yes, I did and-"

But Sirius cut her off and said wickedly, "Oh, you think that's a big deal? James, here, he was in love with you by sixth year. His crush on you had turned into much more than that-" he heard a collective gasp around the room "-yep, that's right. James is in love with Lily."

James had gone a glorious shade of fuschia. He ran a hand nervously through his hair, toussling his locks even further. He now had a carefully neutralized expression on his face. He didn't dare to look at Lily.

Lily said faintly, "You were in love with me?"

James sighed deeply and looked into her eyes. "Yeah, I was."

Lily contemplated this for a moment. Then, slowly, she got up and walked to James at a pherenereal pace. She embraced James and with and she planted a kiss on his cheek. She murmured in his ear, "You are so sweet."

Elizabeth, who felt the uncomfortable feeling in the room, said, clapping her hands together in a gesture of finality, "Okay, come on. Who's next? Annabelle, you went. Sirius, we've heard plenty from you. I went. So we've got Lily, James, Remus, and Peter."

"I'll go," ventured Remus. "So, you all know I'm a werewolf. And my favorite thing at Hogwarts was when my best friends decided to help me through "my furry little problem." When they all became Animagus, I knew I had friends that would last with me, and always help me. Well, they did. And I wouldn't have been able to do it without them."

He looked appreciatively at Sirius, James, and Peter. He then concluded, "So, thanks, for always being there."

James and Sirius beamed Remus while Peter looked horrified at being involved in any sort of emotional encounter.

James said, "I'll go next. So, you pretty much know our story. It's been told enough. But something that you girls don't really know is about how Sirius moved in with me. Well, I'll start from the beginning. Sirius' family never really treated him as they should've. They would always yell at him. I remember when we were in First Year I heard how awful they'd been to him over winter break, and they didn't give him any presents. I was so sad for Sirius, at how cruel and heartless they were to their own child. So the next year, I invited him to mine, but he still lived at his house full time. That was the first happy Christmas I think Sirius had ever had.

"It made me so happy to see Sirius happy. I mean, he's always been my best friend. As he got older, Sirius' family treated even more horrifically. But somehow, he stayed warm and impulsive. Even though horrible things had been thrust upon him, he retained his good-natured spirit, his brilliance, his ability to love, and above all, his happiness. I never met anyone who could do that. So when things got really bad, he moved in with me. And he still does." James smiled at Sirius and reached over to hug him. Sirius stared at the ground.

Annabelle stood up from where she sat and she made her way to Sirius. She got down on her knees in front of him, and she cupped his face in her hands. "I never knew that. I'm so proud of you, and I love you." With that, she kissed Sirius, reveling in him. He reciprocated, and then he murmured, "God I love you too. Never leave me."

Annabelle replied, "I won't. I promise." She kissed him again, harder, and they were oblivious to all that was going on around them.

Now it was nearing nine and they all sat down to a lovely dinner that Annabelle and Elizabeth had prepared. They laughed merrily, enjoying this last time together. Annabelle and Sirius held hands the entire meal. Then, Annabelle lifted her glass and toasted Lily.

"To Lily, who is our best friend and is leaving tomorrow to embark on a trip that leads her to a new career in New York. She has been our best friend these eight years and we love her. We will miss you, Lily, so much, but we know you will love New York. And we'll visit. We'll apparate all the time. We promise. To Lily!"

Everyone toasted their glasses. Lily had tears streaming down her face.

Then, after they conversed at the table for another few hours, Lily knew it was time to say goodbye. She decided to take each person into a room and talk to them privately.

"Annabelle, come with me," said Lily. Annabelle nodded and followed her into the bedroom.

"Well, I want to say goodbye to each of you individually. Oh my God, Annabelle, I'm going to miss you so much! You've been my best friend since we were eleven and now here we are, and I'm leaving. I can't believe it." Lily's voice was thick with emotion, and she was crying.

"I know, Lily, I know. I'm going to miss you even more than you can imagine," Annabelle said in a shaky voice, "but I know this is good for you. You're going to love it. And don't ever forget how much Lizzie and I love you, okay? We will always be there for you."

They embraced, sobbing, for a few minutes, before they finally let go.

Lily took a deep breath and then she said, sniffling, "We better get going."

Next, Lily took Elizabeth to say goodbye.

Elizabeth said, already crying herself, "I'm going to miss you so much, Lily! You are my best friend, like my sister! What am I going to do without you?"

Lily, crying heavily again, incoherently responded with mumbled words of "I know." Then she and Elizabeth just sat there, holding each other. Finally Elizabeth gave her a final squeeze and said, "I love you, and you're going to do great in New York. I promise we'll come see you."

Lily sighed and answered, "I know, Lizzie, I know. I love you guys so much."

Then, Lily took Remus into the room.

She stated, " I know we've only been good friends since Fifth Year, but your friendship means so much to me. I'm going to miss those days of reading together and telling off James and Sirius when they misbehave. I'll miss you."

Remus embraced her and said, "Yeah, same, here. You'll do great, and I'll come see you often."

"Okay, thank you. And I want you to know I'll always be there for you if you ever need help. All right?"

"Okay. Thanks."

Following Remus, Lily got Peter's goodbye out of the way by muttering a few words, hugging him for a fraction of a second, and then moving on to Sirius. Sirius awkwardly followed her.

"Sirius, you are so funny, and brave, and amazing for what you've put up with from your family. I want you to know that. And I will really miss you. You make me laugh. By the way, I'm so happy you are finally with Annabelle!" Lily began.

Sirius laughed and said, "Of course! Me too. It's about time we got together. And I'll greatly miss your brilliance and of course, you telling me off all the time."

Lily grinned at him and hugged him warmly. She kissed his cheek and took him back out.

Presently, it was midnight and everyone looked rather exhausted, especially Lily, who had endured an emotionally-gruelling day. She hugged everyone one last time, going from person to person and saying goodbye. She turned to James and embraced him tightly before letting go and whispering goodbye. She then went to her room to go to bed.

James looked stunned. He turned to Elizabeth. "Why? Why don't I get a goodbye too? You all did."

"Oh, James, with your relationship with her. Don't you think its kind of complicated?" she replied, looking at him sympathetically.

He stormed over to Lily's bedroom door and threw it open. He then slammed it shut behind them. Lily turned around, her expression slightly frightened.

James said, looking hurt, "Lily, what about me? Don't I get a goodbye?"

Lily sighed, "James, I thought it would be easier like this. I thought-"

James cut her off. "So everyone else gets one but me, huh? What do I have to do to get one? It isn't that hard to give people, say, a hug, or like everyone else. You would think that our relationship would mean something to you. Do I have to be best friends with you? Do I have to date you over and over again for the past two years? Wait a minute! I've _done_ all those things!"

Lily was staring at him, her eyes clouded up with tears. "James, you don't-"

"Does our relationship mean that little to you? I thought we had something special! Do I mean that little to you? Fine, Lily, have a nice life in New York," James almost shouted. He then stalked out of the room and out the door.

Lily, half-crying, followed James to his flat across the hall. She burst through the door and yelled, "You honestly think that I didn't say goodbye to you because you don't mean anything to me?"

James looked at her and said, "That's what it looked like to me."

Lily stared at him and said, "If you honestly believe that then you don't know anything about me, do you?"

James gazed at her and then said, "then why couldn't you say anything to me? It would only have taken a few words!"

Lily then said, emotionally, "Because, James, it's too hard for me! If you think for one minute that I don't care about you, you're wrong! It's because you mean more to me than anyone else! I didn't say goodbye because it makes me want to change my mind and not go at all, that's how much you mean to me! So don't you dare think that you don't mean anything to me! After all we've been through, you don't know that! Well, there's your goodbye, James."

With that, she turned towards the door to leave when James stopped her.

"Lily …"

"What!?"

He kissed her hard and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, they both let each other say goodbye the way they wanted to.

The next day, Lily got up from James' bed and kissed him. "Good morning," she said.

He smiled and replied, "Morning."

"Don't get up. I'm going to go, okay? That was the perfect way to say goodbye."

James contemplated her for a second before saying listlessly, "Yeah, yeah it was."

Lily pecked his cheek and murmured goodbye before departing.

Because they lived in Muggle London, there was a special Apparition spot where they used to Apparate, and so Lily went there, all her belongings miniaturized to fit into her pocket. It was now around eleven in the morning, Lily just having left from the flat from a lovely breakfast.

Meanwhile, James had eventually gotten up and gotten dressed. He was having breakfast with Sirius in their apartment while they were having a conversation about Lily leaving.

"Yeah, we're going to miss her," commented Sirius decisively.

"Yeah … I guess …" James halheartedly agreed. Sirius noted this and then asked James, " Are you all right, mate?"

"Well, no, actually. Lily's leaving, and we still haven't talked … sorted stuff out," responded James.

"I know, Prongs, but didn't you sleep with her? I mean, that's a pretty damn good way to say goodbye, wouldn't you say?" said Sirius, grinning.

"Shut up, Padfoot. Well, it was good. But you _know_ what I meant. Obviously, I loved sleeping with her, but I wanted to talk about us, what was going to happen. I mean, I love her and we didn't-"

Sirius looked sharply at James while he cut it, "You _love _her?"

"What? Oh, I just said that, didn't I?" James looked extremely disconcerted and aloof, as though he were floating in a vaccuum of air, not anchored anywhere stable, just drifting about.

Sirius said, almost sorrowfully, "Well, this sucks … You realize you still love her and she's leaving."

James looked at him slightly miffed. "Sirius, not helping here. It's too bad. I'll have to get over her."

"No! What the hell, James? You're not bloody stupid! You will go after her, and at least tell her how you feel! Understand? You're going after her!" exclaimed Sirius.

"I'm going after her," echoed James weakly.

"Yeah that's it! Now go get you're jacket. We don't have much time before she leaves! You've got like … ten minutes. Go!" Sirius said encouragingly.

James sprinted to his room, grabbed his jacket and slung it over his shoulders and they both Apparated to the place Lily was going to go.

It was starting to rain, an overcast day in London. Typical English weather, it was. Lily was about to leave, but she lingered as long as she could, trying to delay the transition of her Enland life to her New York life. She sighed and decided that she couldn't waste any more time when she heard James calling her.

"Lily! Lily, wait! Lily Evans!"

She turned around and hurried to James. "What? What is it? James, you're freaking me out!"

James looked at her. "Well, don't go."

"Why? You're scaring me."

"The thing is, I love you."

"What! Oh my God!"

"I know, I know. I know I should have told you. But I just realized what my life would be like without you, and I realized I'm still in love with you. I love you." James looked deperately at Lily.

Sirius watched from afar, a pained, sympathetic expression on his face.

Lily said in a sorrowful voice, " I can't. Not now. I have to go."

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do. I have to go."

"I know you love me. You don't have to go. Stay, please."

"I'm so sorry, James, I can't. I have to go. Maybe if you had told me earlier … I have to go. I'm sorry." And she turned, and Apparated.

James stood there for a minute looking deperate. Then he shook his head and phernereally walked over to Sirius.

Sirius looked as though he wanted to cry. He put his arms around James and said quielty, "I'm so sorry mate."

James said, "I thought she would stay."

Sirius just relpied, "I'm sorry. I truly am."

It was now pouring as they went back to the flat.

Later that day, James was lying on his bed, brooding. He felt chronically depressed. He heard a resounding CRACK! and he looked up, startled. He faintly registered who it was.

"Lily? …" he said disbelievingly. "What are you …"

"I've been thinking about what you said. And what I didn't. And what I should've said. You're right, you're absolutely right. Of course you are. I do love you. I love you so much. I've always loved you, even when we weren't together," she said in a trembling voice. She looked up at him pleadingly.

James slowly walked to Lily and wrapped his arms around her. He then began to kiss her furiously, and she reciprocated. "I love you," he murmured in her ear, "and I'm not letting you leave me ever again."

"I love you, too. And I promise I'll never leave you. We're finished being idiots. No more messing around."

So, Lily decided to remain in England with James. She told Felicity she was staying, and she was resuming her old job. It was later that evening, and all her friends and her were eating dinner together, just like old times. Like it would continue to be. And if things changed later on, she would always be with James.

"Oh, Lily, I'm so happy you'll be with us," Annabelle said for the millionth time.

"Me too!" Elizabeth agreed.

"Definitely," said James and he kissed Lily's cheek and wrapped his arm around her. James beamed at Sirius, and he did the same. Remus smiled and held hands with Elizabeth.

"Something's changed around here," said Lily, nodding at Remus and Elizabeth's intertwined fingers.

Elizabeth grinned and said, "Well, we realized we liked each other and just … yeah."

Annabelle and Sirius smiled at each other, and all the couples held hands. Peter had brought his girlfriend too. They talked and laughed and had fun, enjoying each other's company.

So now everyone was paired off, but one thing remained the same. They were all still best friends.


End file.
